Planar Travel
| rarity = Uncommon | type = Unit Enchantment | casting_cost = | upkeep_cost = | research_cost = | effects = Enchanted unit may switch between the two Planes freely, as long as it can legally enter the destination tile on the other plane. Any tile which the unit cannot normally enter by moving into it is illegal, as is any tile containing enemy units or towns (including Encounter zones). }} Planar Travel is an Uncommon Unit Enchantment belonging to the realm. For it may be cast on a friendly unit on the overland map to allow that unit to freely shift between the two Planes. The unit may move from a tile on Arcanus to the corresponding tile on Myrror (and vice versa) without spending any Movement Points. This is only possible if the destination tile is valid. Valid tiles contain no enemy units, enemy Towns, or Encounter zones. A unit may not shift into a tile that it would not normally be able to enter (for example, a unit cannot shift into an Ocean tile). Unlike other Unit Enchantments, this spell has no combat equivalent, and may not be cast during battle. Effects Planar Travel gives a unit the magical ability to teleport at will between the realms of Arcanus and Myrror. It can only teleport into a tile that does not defy any of the special rules outlined below. Plane Shifting Planar Travel bestows a special ability on the unit that is similar in every respect to the inherent Plane Shift ability that some units possess. While the unit is selected, click the "Plane" button to attempt to move the unit to the other plane. If the destination tile is valid (see below), the unit will appear on that tile in the other Plane, having spent no Movement Points on doing so. You may freely click the "Plane" button again and again to teleport the unit between Arcanus and Myrror. The unit's actual location is on the last Plane you were looking at when you de-selected that unit. Remember this when trying to avoid enemy patrols: do not switch tiles while the unit is selected, as that may cause it to end up on the wrong Plane! Group Shifting Planar Travel only works if all currently-selected units are capable of doing so (possessing either Planar Travel or the inherent Plane Shift ability). If any of the currently-selected units do not possess these abilities, no teleportation is performed: when the "Plane" button is clicked, the view will switch to the other plane, but the units will not move to it. To remedy this, the simplest way is to deselect the units that do not have planar-teleportation abilities, but of course that means they will stay behind. Alternatively, cast Planar Travel on these units, or cast the Plane Shift spell on the stack to move all of it to the other plane instantly. Destination Validity When clicking the "Plane" button while the enchanted unit is selected, the game will run a check to see whether the destination tile is valid. It must conform to the following rules: # The destination tile may not contain any enemy units, enemy Towns, or any Encounter zones (including nodes occupied by their original Neutral garrison). # The enchanted unit must be able to enter that tile legally, as if it were to simply move into it from an adjacent tile. For example, a unit cannot move into an Ocean or Shore tile, so it also cannot use Planar Travel if the destination tile is an Ocean or Shore. Conversely, a unit may not move into land tiles, so it cannot use Planar Travel to enter them. Usage Planar Travel may only be cast on the overland map, giving a lasting effect. It has a Casting Cost of . The spell must be targeted at a friendly unit. If the desired target is in an overland army stack, click on that stack to get a list of units inside it, and then select your desired unit. Planar Travel requires an Upkeep Cost of per turn to maintain. Failure to pay this Upkeep Cost due to lack of Mana will cause the spell to dissipate. However, as long as the spell is paid for (and not dispelled by any rival Wizard), the unit continues to enjoy its bonus. Once the spell is in effect, the unit will glow with a aura, unless there is a more powerful spell also affecting it. Acquisition As an Uncommon spell, Planar Travel may become available to any Wizard who possesses at least one Spellbook. However, its availability during the game is almost never guaranteed. Customized Wizards possessing Spellbooks at creation time may choose this spell as one of their default spells before starting the game, in which case the spell will already be researched and available for casting immediately on the first turn. Wizards who possess at least Spellbooks, or Wizards with Spellbooks who did not select Planar Travel as a guaranteed spell, will be able to Research this spell at some point during their campaign. Wizards with fewer than Spellbooks have a random chance of being able to Research it. The chance for this spell to appear increases with the number of Spellbooks the Wizard possesses or obtains during gameplay. Planar Travel has a base Research Cost of . With at least Spellbook, the Planar Travel spell may be acquired as a reward for winning encounters in creature Lairs, Towers, et cetera, or when conquering the Fortress of a rival wizard who has already researched this spell. Strategy Planar Travel is great both for scouting and for actual attacks. Scouting is made easier by Planar Travel as a unit can switch back and forth between the two Planes - it can walk across land on one plane (where the other plane has an ocean), then cross back. This is of course not mentioning the fact that Planar Travel allows you to scout the other plane whether or not you have access to Plane Shift, Towers of Wizardry, et cetera. Invasions made with the help of Planar Travel can be very difficult to stop. You can advance straight into an enemy's empire, possibly even towards his Fortress town, switching to the other Plane to avoid enemy patrols when necessary as you move. Unless there are threats along the route on both Planes, you should be able to advance unhindered! Of course, if you wish an entire army to advance in this manner, you would need to cast Planar Travel on each and every unit. This will cost significantly more (both for Casting and Upkeep) that it might be better to use Plane Shift a few times as necessary instead. Always remember that as long as the enchanted unit is selected, switching your view between the Planes may also cause the unit to shift to the other plane. This can be a problem when trying to avoid enemy units. Always remember to de-select your unit after shifting to the correct plane, so it doesn't unintentionally shift back and forth as you examine the map. Planar Travel can also be used to build Roads on Ocean and Shore tiles, where these cannot normally be built. See more on Roads page. Category:Unit Enchantments Category:Life Category:Unit Movement